Voice
How SmarterDx sounds, and what to leave out.
Voice traits
Every line should sound like it comes from someone with these traits.
CleverApproachableHelpfulInsiderPlainspokenData-backed
Write it this way
Do
- Ground posts in white (light) or Deep Space #051137 (dark); depth via Deep Space #0C2061 / #143088
- Use Orbit Blue #0257FF for action and CTA; tints #7AA3FF / #AABFFF / #EBF0FF on dark and soft fills
- Use Aurora Teal (#00B0C8 to #33D4EA) as the signature accent: the wave, and the Orbit Blue to Aurora Teal headline highlight on accent words only
- Keep Nebula Purple for the Underpayments / Denials product family and case-study grounds
- Sound Clever, Approachable, Helpful — insider, plainspoken, on the client's side
- Call out the status quo and offer a specific, better way
- Back every claim with data; never be vague
- Speak to CDI / coding / physician staff at hospitals & health systems
Don't
- No emoji in final assets
- No smart-aleck tone or inappropriate informality
- No vagueness, ceremony, or barriers between client and team
- No vendor hype or corporate jargon divorced from the product
- No claims about ROI, revenue lift, KLAS satisfaction, SOC 2, or market-size stats unless approved (all currently blocked)
- No arbitrary decoration in place of the ribbon / wave system
- No use of a candidate tagline as if approved
- Words to avoid: emoji, smart-aleck tone, inappropriate informality, vagueness, vendor hype without proof, corporate jargon, unsupported ROI/metric/compliance claims.
Guidance
SmarterDx sounds like an insider who has walked in the client's shoes: clever enough to call out the status quo and offer a better way, approachable enough to speak plainly in the client's language, and helpful enough to keep problem-solving through the life of the relationship. Never vague: every claim is backed by data. (Source: SDX-005 Voice and Tone v1.0 — still current; the relaunch changed the visual system, not the voice.)
Use
- Speak simply, in the client's language, as an insider on their side.
- Call out the status quo and offer a specific, better way.
- Back every claim with data; always ready to help, from real humans.
Avoid
- Smart-aleck tone or inappropriate informality.
- Vagueness, ceremony, or barriers between client and team.
- Vendor hype or any unsupported ROI / metric / compliance claim.
Voice and messaging
Draft: not yet approved by the client
1. The voice in one line
We sound like insiders who have walked in our clients' shoes, talking to the CDI, coding and physician teams at hospitals and health systems, about finding what the chart is missing before the claim goes out: clever, approachable, helpful. Never vague: every claim is backed by data.
2. Voice traits
| Trait | What it means | Not | Sounds like (verbatim, approved) |
|---|---|---|---|
| clever | "AI designed by physicians to think like physicians"; a power tool that levels the playing field with payers. Call out the status quo and find a better way; we love to share information and new solutions. | Smart-alecky or inappropriately informal | "AI designed by physicians to think like physicians" (a phrase from the SDX-005 definition, not a published line) |
| approachable | Insiders and team players who have "walked more than a few miles in our clients' shoes"; easy to reach, easy to talk to; speak simply, in the client's language; calls are consultative conversations, not sales flybys. | Standing on ceremony or putting barriers between client and team | "walked more than a few miles in our clients' shoes" (a phrase from the SDX-005 definition) |
| helpful | Not a SaaS company that sells software and disappears; help and problem-solve from before the sale through the life of the relationship; when you need help you get it from real humans. | Vague | "You deliver the care. We help you capture its full value." (the shipped 2026 homepage H1, not an approved tagline; mapping to this trait is the drafter's) |
Notes for the voice owner:
3. Tone by situation
| Situation | Tone setting | Do | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positioning against the status quo | Clever | Call out the status quo and offer a specific, better way | Smart-alecky or inappropriately informal |
| Sales and customer conversations | Approachable | Speak simply, in the client's language, as an insider on their side; consultative conversations | Sales flybys; standing on ceremony; barriers between client and team |
| Support and the ongoing relationship | Helpful | Help and problem-solve from before the sale through the life of the relationship; real humans | Selling software and disappearing |
| Any claim | Data-backed | Back every claim with data; stand by it | Vagueness; vendor hype without proof |
4. Who we're writing to
| Reader | Jargon level | What they need to hear first | Avoid with them |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDI (clinical documentation integrity) teams, coding teams and physician staff at hospitals and health systems | Plain: "Speak simply, in the client's language" | NCI. The sources frame the economics as "do more with the same FTEs" and the stance as levelling the playing field between under-resourced providers and payers. | Corporate jargon; vendor hype; unsupported ROI, metric or compliance claims |
5. Channel rules
| Channel | POV | Length | Opening line / hook | Emoji | Hashtags | CTA style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social | NCI | One clear message per post | One message advancing the prebill-safety-net / revenue-integrity positioning | none ("No emoji in final assets") | NCI | NCI |
| Decks | NCI | Headlines in sentence case; the serif accent is one short fragment (two or three words) inside a headline | NCI | never | n/a | NCI |
| Web (the shipped 2026 site) | we / you | NCI | The homepage H1: "You deliver the care. We help you capture its full value." (shipped, not an approved tagline) | NCI | n/a | NCI |
6. Messaging
Positioning statement
What exists, none of it client-approved:
- A candidate value prop from the 2024 messaging brainstorm (SDX-006), labelled "NOT confirmed approved" in
identity: "Review every chart with AI that mimics clinical reasoning to advance care quality and capture new revenue."
Approved lines (verbatim, never paraphrased)
| Line | Use for |
|---|---|
| "You deliver the care. We help you capture its full value." | The shipped 2026 homepage H1 |
| "Capture your differential" | Candidate tagline, 2024 brainstorm |
| "Differentially better" | Candidate tagline, 2024 brainstorm |
7. Vocabulary
Say this, not that
| Say | Not | Why |
|---|---|---|
SmarterPrebill (and likewise SmarterCoding, SmarterCharges, SmarterDenials, SmarterUnderpayments, SmarterUtilization, SmarterNotes, SmarterAuthorizations): one word, both halves capitalised, as client-spec writes them |
A two-word form ("Smarter Prebill") | Product naming rule. identity and SDX-010 write "SmarterPreBill" (capital B), so the sources disagree on the spelling. |
| Plain words, in the client's language | Corporate jargon | An insider on the client's side |
Vocabulary in play in the 2024 messaging brainstorm (SDX-006 glossary; brainstorm, not confirmed): clinical AI, prebill safety net, quality checker, net revenue lift / net margin lift, capture your differential (identity Voice).
Names and trademarks
| Name | Write it as | Never | First use |
|---|---|---|---|
| SmarterDx | "SmarterDx" (as the wordmark and every source write it) | NCI | NCI |
| Products | Smarter{Product}: SmarterPrebill, SmarterCoding, SmarterCharges, SmarterDenials, SmarterUnderpayments, SmarterUtilization, SmarterNotes, SmarterAuthorizations | NCI | NCI |
Acronyms
| Acronym | Spell out first? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CDI | NCI | identity writes "CDI (clinical documentation integrity)" once |
| RCM | NCI | Expansion not given in any source |
8. Mechanics
| Choice | Rule |
|---|---|
| Base style guide | NCI |
| Spelling | NCI |
| Headline case | Sentence case |
| Uppercase | Eyebrows and data labels only |
| Oxford comma | Yes |
| Exclamation marks | NCI |
| Contractions | NCI |
| Em dashes | NCI |
| Emoji | Never |
| Serif accent | One short fragment inside a headline, two or three words |
| Reading level | NCI |
| Inclusive / person-first language | NCI |
| Dates and times | NCI |
10. Exemplars
This is us:
| Channel | Why it's on-voice |
|---|---|
| Voice document | The source of the three attributes and the Don'ts |
| Web | The H1 speaks as an insider on the reader's side and puts the reader's work first |